


Barriers and Boredom

by trilliath



Series: Barriers and Boredom [1]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Anal, Battlefield Blow-Job, Biotics, M/M, Oral, Pushing Kaidan's Buttons, Renegade!Shepard, Semi-Public Sex, Threesome, Top!Kaidan, Voyeurism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-11
Updated: 2012-11-11
Packaged: 2017-11-06 11:21:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/418322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trilliath/pseuds/trilliath
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kaidan, Shepard and Vega are pinned down, out of ammo, with no good vantage, waiting for evac on a mission.<br/>Shep gets bored and starts eyeing Kaidan lasciviously. Kaidan's a little busy keeping their asses alive with his barrier and is having none of it. But when he accidentally adds a "Make Vega do it if you’re so bored", it changes things forever.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Boredom

**Author's Note:**

>  
> 
> This is the first part in the Barriers and Boredom series!  
> This story was the springboard for the two subsequent fics written for the [Mass Effect Big Bang 2012](http://mebigbang.livejournal.com/). They are the prequel [Tension and Trust](http://archiveofourown.org/works/559745/chapters/999062), and the sequel [Rest and Reviction](http://archiveofourown.org/works/559840/chapters/999306). They include art from the amazing and wonderful [Mintsui](http://mintsui.tumblr.com). 

"I'm out," Shepard said with a disgusted sound, slamming the last heat sink out of his rifle as he crouched back down against the small chunk of rubble.

"Been out a while," James said, shrugging and indicating the spent shotgun leaning against his thigh. "I'm beginning to rethink my stance on ammo mods."

Another spray of bullets flew by them and they all ducked. Carefully Kaidan leaned forward again over the edge of the rubble-strewn roof they were atop. 

The enemy had good cover in the lower levels of the opposite side of the partially-collapsed building. He could throw biotics at them, but at this range, the effect would be slow enough they'd have no trouble dodging - if he could even see them in the darkness.

"No-go," Kaidan said, crouching back beside them as another shot rang out past his head. Sounded like a sniper. 

"Well fuck," Shepard said, frowning.

They looked at each other. Not a particularly good situation.

Their coms crackled with the broken sound of Steve's voice.   
"-me in, Shepard-…"  
"Cortez, do you copy?" Shepard said, standing up and moving to try to get better signal.

Kaidan heard the crack of gunfire and cursed, throwing up a fast barrier between them and the enemy. The rip and wash of biotic energy tearing through him was rough in its speed. He grit his teeth against the sensation, against the strange feeling of the bullets hitting an imaginary part of him and falling away.  
Shepard, as usual, just ignored the fact that he'd nearly been shot. His shields probably would have held, Kaidan admitted. Probably wasn't good enough in his book though.   
Shepard at least moved a little further away so his head wasn't in sight of the enemy anymore.

"-re fighters… th-… them, m-… -al twent-…" was all they got.   
"Cortez?" Shepard called. No response.  
Shepard shook his head again. "Fuck."

Steve had already radioed twice about delays as he tried to shake the enemies on his tail to come extract them. They didn't have the ammo or supplies to get back down from their pick-up point, and even if they had, everywhere else below them was too deeply under enemy control for the shuttle to land once he shook the fighters.

So they were stuck.

Vega immediately cracked open a ration bar, like any true soldier, and popped half of it in his mouth. He tossed the other half to Kaidan, who ate it gratefully. Keeping the barrier up, even at low levels was an effort that would have him burning through calories twice as fast as the other men.

For a while they all just sat there. Shepard started chucking cooled spent heat sinks through a random look of twisted re-bar up on a shattered pillar. But then he ran out of clips, and all the rocks were big chunks of rough concrete. Not fun for chucking. Shepard started pacing. Waiting was not something he did well, even less so recently. Kaidan just watched him, keeping his barrier at the ready in case the enemy managed to get the drop on them. More so than usual, Shepard's pacing had him itching in annoyance.  
He leaned out periodically to try and keep an eye on enemy movements down in the rubble below them.

"Alenko," Shepard said quietly, grinning at him. Kaidan did not like the tone. He did not like it at all. Shepard had an _idea_. Reluctantly he turned a hard-eyed gaze on the commander, pursing his lips.

"You remember that mission on Nepmos? How we had all that downtime between Rachnii waves?"

Kaidan glared at him. Like he could forget.

"I'm _bored_ ," Shepard said. He said it in the same tone of voice someone might say _I'm horny_. Much as he had those three years ago on Nepmos. That had been about two seconds before he'd pulled Kaidan into one of the modules and introduced Kaidan first-hand to the concept of the battlefield-blow-job.

Kaidan rolled his eyes. "Well I'm _not_ , Shepard."

James watched the exchange with narrowed eyes, munching on his rations.

"I'm _really_ bored," Shepard said walking closer, smirking at him. 

Another burst of gunfire had Kaidan flexing his biotics to solidify the barrier again on reflex. Fresh sweat beaded on his forehead.

"And I'm a little busy, if you hadn't noticed," he replied with a withering glance, standing and moving back from the edge so that he could keep the barrier up and keep Shepard from moving closer to the ledge and making himself even more visible to the enemy. He raised his hands to the side in order to focus the barrier and guard their backs. 

"Oh come on," Shepard said and narrowed his eyes, coming closer. "I think it's a perfect opportunity," he added, reaching forward to cup Kaidan's crotch while his arms were busy. "I think it's even your turn this time. Or is it mine? I can never remember."

Kaidan was more pissed at the fact that Shepard was making his armor particularly uncomfortable than he was at the distraction and blatant exhibitionism of Shepard's move. He kicked Shepard in the shin - hard, not that it made much impact through armor. 

"Seriously Shepard, I'm fucking busy right now," he grit out as his barrier fizzed and whumped as more bullets hit, "Try that shit on Vega if you’re so desperate," he snapped, a sarcastic edge to his voice. The moment the words left his mouth he regretted them.

Shepard's eyebrows raised at his sarcastic suggestion, and then a slow smile slid onto his face. Folding his arms and rubbing hand over his chin he said "Good plan," and turned to the Lieutenant who was looking back at him with a raised eyebrow. "Didn't know you liked to watch, Kaidan," he added absently over his shoulder to his lover as he studied the younger marine.

Kaidan cursed under his breath. This was exactly why he tried so hard to stay calm most of the time. Really stupid shit had a tendency to come out of his mouth when he got pissed. He was _still_ feeling some of the repercussions of his words on Horizon nearly a year prior. 

"Any opinion on the matter, Lieutenant?" Shepard asked, voice perfectly neutral.

"What are we talkin' about here, loco? Partial field-strip and spit-polish?" he tossed off, leaning back on one hand and propping the other elbow on his knee as he glanced down at Shepard's crotch.

That got a bark of laughter out of Shepard as he walked away from his lover and over to the younger marine, heedless of the gunfire the movement attracted. Kaidan followed only to keep the barrier protecting the indifferent movements of the commander. He was not particularly interested in getting closer to the situation that was unfolding before him.

"That about sums it up," Shepard said, crossing his arms.

"I'm down," Vega said, face neutral. "Got nothing better to do."

"That's the spirit," Shepard said and grinned, moved sideways to perch on a large chunk of rubble next to where Vega was sitting.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me, John," Kaidan snapped when the commander reached for his pelvic plate and Vega nonchalantly tossed the ration wrapper aside and moved onto his knees. 

"It was your idea," Shepard said with a cool smile for Kaidan as James slid between his thighs and then paused, glancing between them. 

Kaidan cursed under his breath. He wasn't interested in adding more, because for some reason he was too much on edge that day to say anything sensible.   
And unfortunately, Shepard was right in this case. Because in their fucked up relationship, they had some rules - one of which was if you suggested something, you couldn't back out because it wasn't going exactly the way you planned. Another spray of random bullets whizzed by and Kaidan glared at Shepard.

"For the love of… keep your damn head down at least," Kaidan demanded.

Shepard sighed and shoved James back bodily so he could slide down from the chunk of rubble he'd been sitting atop. Now his head was no longer silhouetted against the skyline and Kaidan could hunker down a little lower against the cover with his barrier and take some of the pressure off.   
It was certainly a relief, because he'd been starting to feel the strain of the wide shield Shepard had needed. But it had the unfortunate side effect of putting him right in line with and within touching distance of the other two marines. He heaved a deep breath, trying to slow his heart rate again. It didn't exactly help, considering the fact that his lover was about to get a blow job from someone else right in front of him.

Shepard shifted his weight awkwardly, leaning back against the piece of rubble so he could get at his pelvic plate. He snapped it off with deft motions and sighed in relief as the constraining plate was removed from the growing bulge in his crotch. After tucking the plate into a crevice in the rubble he tugged aside the fold of the under armor bodysuit so that his dick was freed from its constraints. He stroked it out into his palm, letting it finally grow fully erect with a contented sound as another grenade bounced off Kaidan's barrier and fell back, exploding a few meters below them.

If only the galaxy could see him now, Kaidan thought, they'd see the real Shepard, getting off on the insanity of it all. Then maybe people would understand why he headbutted Krogan and punched reporters and sacrificed thousands with approximately the same degree of deliberation - which was to say, none.

James scooted back so that he could get onto his hands and knees between Shepard's legs. Shepard let his leg closest to Kaidan fall to the side so Kaidan could get a clear view. Then Shepard smirked at Kaidan in a way that said unequivocally _"I win"_ as the younger marine settled himself in, nudging his broad shoulder under the curve of his other up-turned knee.  
Kaidan could only glare.

James smirked and took Shepard's dick into his fist before dipping his head down and covering him with his mouth.  
He swirled his tongue out past his lips as he teased the head of Shepard's cock, pulling the skin taut with one fist as he bit his lips down around the ridge under the tip. Shepard grunted as he stroked his fist up to his lips, building pressure fast. Loosening his lips, the saliva he gathered in his mouth ran down the length of Shepard's erection in a shiny trail. He slicked it around the shaft with his hand, then he slid his head forward, enveloping Shepard thoroughly.

Shepard tipped his head back with a surprised moan. "You're good at this lieutenant," he said, looking down at his crotch.

"Something's worth doing," James said, lifting his head a moment before plunging it down as far as he could.  
"Worth doing well," he added on his next up stroke.

Kaidan could only stare at the scene before him. He was glad that the armor was confining - painful even, where it dug into his cock. It helped keep him focused on the fact that he was the one keeping them all alive instead of doing what his dick wanted him to do.

Shepard looked over at him, an unfathomable look on his face. He reached up a hand and brushed a knuckle against Kaidan's cheekbone in a brief movement before dropping his hand.   
With a sigh, Kaidan let the frown slide off his face and quirked a brow at him. Kaidan never could manage to stay fully mad at him when he looked at him like that, like he could see all the way to the darkest reaches of his soul.   
Still, this was a bit beyond the normal shit Shepard pulled...   
Yet if he was honest with himself, that was probably precisely what had him, both of them, so damn hot about it, Kaidan thought bitterly as he stared into his lover's complicated eyes. Things would never be just easy, or sweet, or simple between them.

Then Shepard was distracted again as James twisted his fist in a rough move that had his hips jerking. 

"Shit, lieutenant," he muttered as Vega swallowed him down again. 

Vega just repeated the maneuver, chuckling low in his throat. He appeared to redouble his efforts, bobbing hand and fist in quick motion over the commander's cock. Shepard made a pleased hum and his body flexed slightly. A sign Kaidan was well familiar with. James seemed to pick up on it too and he abruptly changed his pattern, jerking his hand in the opposite direction of his mouth.

Shepard bowed up and clamped two gauntlets down over Vega's head, pinning him close as his hips jerked beneath him. He groaned low and loud as he shot his load into the lieutenant's throat. His legs strained against the dusty concrete as he rode the orgasm through. With a second low murmur he released his head, sitting back again.

James sat back, turning his head to cough slightly, wiping the smeared saliva from his chin with a smirk. Shepard grinned down at him, laughing low under his breath.  
Kaidan cursed low under his breath as another high-velocity shot pinged his barrier, sending another cascade of sensation through his tired brain. 

He praised everything from Garrus's spirits to Liara's goddess and back again when he saw the familiar blue streak of Cortez in the shuttle racing in on the horizon.

"See? Told you it was a good way to waste time."


	2. Games

Kaidan was simultaneously worn out and energized. A common side effect of sustained biotic use. But it didn't help that he was still half-hard under his armor, made worse every time he glanced at either his lover two seats to his right or the lieutenant sitting in the opposite corner. He busied himself on the shuttle ride back by wiping some of the dust and sweat off his face and neck with a cloth and shoveling rations down his throat to replenish lost calories. 

For most of the ride back to the Normandy they all seemed content to nap or just listen to the rushing sound of atmosphere, or the low thrum of the engines as they made open space.

But eventually, never one for letting sleeping dogs lie, Shepard leaned forward to look at him, drawing his gaze.  
"I think we owe the lieutenant for his work down there, don't you Kaidan?" Shepard asked, the grin on his face more darkly mischievous than warm as he looked at his lover.

"Oh I owe him something," Kaidan replied sharply, glaring back at the commander. He pressed his lips together in frustration, crumpling another wrapper in his hand and shoving it in the receptacle. His mouth was apparently way faster than his filters today. And Shepard knew it, was pushing at it.

"Suppose we should invite him up so you can thank him properly?" Shepard asked, voice low and rough with heat as he tilted his head in question, leaning on one elbow as he studied his lover.

Neither man looked at James, though in peripheral vision the lieutenant could clearly be seen hear the exchange and was looking back and forth between them.

Kaidan stared at John a long moment with narrowed eyes. Shepard just stared back, face neutral with the slightest quirk of his mouth. Well then. Kaidan snorted, standing so that he could make his way towards the cockpit. "Whatever you say, Commander," he tossed over his shoulder as he went to go talk to Steve.

Shepard smirked as he watched him go. "Well then. Lieutenant?" Shepard asked, turning to look at him and waiting for the full confirming understanding to cross James's face.   
It did. James leaned back from where he'd been resting his elbows on his knees. He considered a moment before replying with a, "Rodger that," and then tipped his head back against the seat to close his eyes for the remainder of the ride.

When they docked, weapons were stowed in silence. Cortez sensed the tension and said something about re-aligning the drive coils on the shuttle in place of the usual post-mission discussion or chitchat.

The ride up the elevator was an interesting one.   
Kaidan was wound tight, arms folded across his chest. Vega was going for relaxed, though not quite making it. 

Shepard stood close to Kaidan, touching him idly, stroking his abdomen and hip, watching his face. Occasionally he dipped his head, placing little bites at the sensitive skin of his neck beneath his ear. Kaidan didn't move, he just watched Vega with impenetrable eyes. James crossed his arms and leaned back against the elevator wall, holding his gaze.

"Oh this is going to be _fun_ ," Shepard said in a low voice, a wicked grin on his face.

James raised an eyebrow at that, a slight smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. Kaidan's jaw just clenched tighter. 

Then John whispered low, only for his lover to hear, "You know, you are in _such_ a nasty mood today, Kaidan." 

That had Kaidan's jaw clenching as he turned to meet his lover's gaze with raised brows. In response to the comment, he unfolded his arms and purposely let his shoulders relax a little, sighing out a tight breath.

"Better," John said with a slight smile. It was, perhaps, a lie. 

"Hm," Kaidan said, noncommittally, stepping forward a little as the elevator stopped on the top deck. He strode out first and made his way into their quarters, heading for their traditional post-mission libation; a carafe of whiskey on the desk down near the bed.   
Shepard followed him down into the living area. James trailed after a bit more slowly.

"Want some?" Kaidan asked as he splashed two fingers into two of the glasses.

Shepard tipped his head towards James. "Not the best quality stuff what with the way things are going…" he said, pursing his lips in annoyance at the state of the galaxy. "But it's great at clearing out all the dust from mucking around on some god-forsaken wreck of a planet like today. Or before meeting with the council. Or whenever, really," he said with a low laugh.

"Sure," James replied. Kaidan poured another and brought the stack over, handing one to James.

In what was clearly a very old habit, he handed the second glass to Shepard and they clacked them together before tossing them back in identical maneuvers. The commander took Kaidan's glass and set it on the desk. He paused to take off his gauntlets and then he poured himself some more.

"Thanks for the blow job, lieutenant," he said, turning and leaning back against the desk, raising his glass to James.   
The lieutenant saluted him in kind and tipped the whiskey back in reply. Glass emptied he set it aside on the nearby table. Kaidan was just watching him with folded arms.

"It was excellent," Shepard added, sipping his own drink.

Shrugging one thick shoulder nonchalantly James said, "De nada." And then, after a brief flick of the eyes to meet Kaidan's, and possibly merely because he could, he added, "You were pretty easy to pop. Been something you were looking forward to?"

Kaidan turned sharp eyes on him for that. "Interesting take on sucking your CO's cock, lieutenant," he said, moving closer so he was standing face to face with James. "Did you-" Realizing he was about to sound off like an idiot again, Kaidan clamped his mouth shut on some sharp words with a frustrated tic of his head, refraining from making things worse. Damned if he wasn't on a hair trigger that evening. 

James raised one eyebrow, face otherwise impassive. He knew better than to rise to the bait on that one. But it also had the unintended result of leaving them standing far too close to each other with no words to distract them. Kaidan watched the younger marine's nostrils flare as he looked back at him with glint in his eyes.

"Come on boys, play nice," Shepard taunted as he moved closer. He stopped beside them, smirking at them both. 

Slowly stroked a hand over Kaidan's cheekbone and back into his hair, leaning forward to kiss the side of his mouth. He nipped at Kaidan's lower lip and the major finally loosened a bit and turned his head to return the kiss, letting their mouths slide open in hot accord. James being only a few inches away had the sensation of kissing his lover ratcheting up into the realm of indecipherable. Especially when Shepard slowly ran the thumb of his other hand over Vega's lower lip. Shepard lifted his head and looked over at the younger marine.

"I bet he's a good kisser, Kaidan, just look at that mouth," he said, voice low as he traced the soft skin with his finger.

Kaidan glared at him. Then he looked. And James watched him look, eyes glinting. His tongue darted forward to touch the inside edge of his lips and his gaze tracked down to Kaidan's mouth. Kaidan drew a ragged breath, arousal tight in his body. But neither man made a move. 

Shepard laughed low and quiet as he laid a firm hand on the neck rim of Vega's armor. "Really you two, try and get along. This might help," he added, walking James backward. Kaidan didn't escape his grasp either, pulled after them. Shepard pushed James so that he backed up till his knees hit the corner of the mattress, knocking the lieutenant backwards onto the bed. He didn't exactly resist, looking up at both of them with hot eyes as he propped himself up on his elbows. 

Shepard pulled Kaidan forward in front of him so that he was standing at Vega's knees, looking down at him. "What do you think, lover?" he said quietly in Kaidan's ear. Kaidan didn't have an answer for him, he only drew in another taut breath, gazing down at the younger marine. Abruptly Shepard gave Kaidan a shove and he toppled over James, armor clacking loud as they collided in a heap on the bed with a matching pair of surprised grunts.

Kaidan immediately pushed back onto his haunches, straddling the lieutenant's hips. He glared first at Shepard, then at the younger man between his legs.   
James stared up at him with his inscrutable expression, but slowly, cautiously, his hands drifted up to touch the armor on the outside edge of Kaidan's thighs, holding his gaze as his hands slid slowly up.   
Kaidan pursed his lips, sucking in a hard breath through his nose as he watched the hands make their way up towards his hips. Coming to some semblance of a decision he started stripping off his gauntlets and tossing them somewhere in the direction of the closet.

"What do you think major? The lieutenant a fan of a little blue falcon?" Shepard asked, using an old military phrase in its alternate and more transliterally vulgar meaning.

Kaidan just pressed his lips into a tight line, turning an annoyed gaze on him while he cracked the catches on his arm plates. Sometimes John's ability to read people and their desires so easily was beyond unnerving. He chucked his arm plates with more force than necessary over at the wall. 

"James?" Shepard asked as he made his way back to retrieve his drink from where it was sitting on the desk, turning to lean back against the furniture again.

The lieutenant licked his lips absently. "Might be," he said with a narrowed gaze as he watched the major unlock the clasps on his breastplate and toss the cuirass roughly after his gloves. "Sure, why not?"

"I'm afraid I'm not in a particularly good mood right now _Lieutenant_ ," Kaidan snapped, gripping the collar of James's armor in a strong hand, yanking him up a little as he braced his free hand against the headboard, pulling James's face closer to his. "You _might_ want to reconsider."

James merely turned a scornful expression up at him. "Anything _you_ can dish out I can take, Major."   
He smirked when Kaidan shoved him down against the bed even more roughly than before, a faint low sound escaping his chest.  
And Kaidan realized suddenly that he was taunting him intentionally. And enjoying the result.   
Was anything ever simple? 

He looked down with narrowed golden eyes. "Very well," he said quietly. Something flickered in James's eyes that he couldn't read, but Kaidan abruptly shifted his focus and started to apply his motions to James's armor.   
Soon he jerked the heavy chestplate off of Vega and rolled it off the bed with a careless flick and loud clatter. His hands stroked hard over the thin material of James's bodysuit, eliciting a hint of a pleased sound from Vega as those hands traveled up further to slide on either side of his neck, thumbs gliding into the dent between windpipe and muscle on either side.

"Gonna join in commander?" James asked. "Or do you like to watch too?" he added with a smirk, recalling Shepard's earlier taunt to Kaidan.

Kaidan gripped James by the back of the neck, pulling him up so that he could shove the back piece of his armor off the bed. The commander _did_ like to watch. Kaidan knew that for a fact, his memory flashing back briefly as he let James fall back to the bed. 

_stroking rough hands over his cock in the shower as John stands leaning against the sink, arms folded. Watching him with hot eyes, flared nostrils, bulging trousers. Kaidan tipping his head back and watching John's face, just staring as he jerks off for his lover._

Oh yes, the commander liked to watch.   
He turned his gaze to Shepard. The things he would do for his lover… not to say that he didn't resist, sometimes, but...If he was honest with himself, he was pretty sure there were no limits. 

_kneeling on the bed, wrists bound by a re-appropriated belt behind his back, erection hard, so hard in front of him. Shepard is reclining in his lounge chair, cock in one hand, remote control for the vibrator deep in Kaidan's ass in the other. Kaidan gasping for breath as he ratchets the setting up again._

"Perhaps," the commander said, crossing his arms and scratching at his stubble idly. "We'll see."  
Kaidan knew he was not alone in his memories as Shepard met his gaze, a wicked smirk growing on his features. They held each other's eyes a long moment, drawing on those shared experiences and constructing some tenuous thread through their current state.

"You sure you know how to do this, major?" James interrupted, chin jerking up defiantly as he impatiently ground his plated hips against the major's. "Or are you only here because you suck the commander's dick?"

Kaidan snapped his gaze back to the man underneath him with lethal sharpness, hands crushing unwittingly into the hard muscle beneath them. His blood was on high boil. James appeared to revel in it, his eyes going hot as they met his.

"Shit, _puñetero_ ," Vega added daringly, smirking at him, "I might just have to try and compete for the position if that's all you do." 

Suddenly biotic energy popped and thrummed into existence around the major as his right fist curled reflexively and he drew it back. James's eyes went a bit wide when Shepard actually stood up sharply and said, "Kaidan," voice firm and cutting, every inch The Commander.

Kaidan let out an exasperated sound and the biotics immediately snapped out of existence. He sat back, giving his head a small shake.   
"Fuck," he said eloquently, scrubbing a hand over his face. What the hell was going on with him?   
He glared at Shepard like it's his fault his control was so thin - and perhaps it was. Shepard was just looking at him with a hard glint of excitement glowing amber in his eyes, a taut smile spreading on his mouth.

"I think that's the plan," James adds, mouth slightly ajar in anticipation.

"Don't tempt me too badly, lieutenant," he murmured, leaning over and pinning him with a hard golden gaze, digging his fingers into the taut lines of muscle running over his abdomen.

In response James darted his head up rebelliously to slant his mouth over Kaidan's, wedging his lips open with his tongue. Caught off guard, Kaidan moaned and kissed him back, hard, bracing his hands against the headboard as he ground down. The sound of their pelvic plates grinding against one another was echoed by the low sounds coming from their throats as they twisted their tongues into each other.

James reached up to grip the major's head with his armored hands and pulled him tighter, but again, it was the wrong move for Kaidan's itchy nerves.   
With a growl, Kaidan gripped his wrists, slamming them back onto the bed. In his peripheral vision he could see Shepard relaxing back against the desk, gazing on in hungry expectation. In his surprise, James only flexed in resistance after his hands had been torn away from their goal. They both curled in taut contraction, arms ridged with banded muscle. But with his legs wrapped around the younger marine's hips, Kaidan had the advantage of leverage and managed to keep his arms pinned. Stubbornly he glared down at him, breath heaving tight through his nose, waiting until James's body relaxed in partial surrender.   
After a long moment, James did, letting the muscles in his arms go lax. Then slowly Kaidan rocked back on his hips and roughly, pointedly, continued at his interrupted task. Deft fingers slipped into catches at James's wrists and elbows, tugging the gauntlets off and letting them tumble down to the deck.

Vega's broad arms and shoulders were soon bared of armor and Kaidan slipped rough hands under his bodysuit top, dragging it up over his head. His own was soon to follow, his dog tags clacking as they fell back against his skin.  
He leaned down to take a vicious nip of one tan nipple. James jerked slightly under him, gritting his teeth against the unexpected pain with a small grunt. But he grinned down at Kaidan when the major lifted his head.

Kaidan leaned to his left and placed his right foot flat on the bed, creating a gap so he could undo the clasps holding on James's thigh plates. He wedged his booted foot against the inside edge of James's thigh, pushing it wide so that he could reach the snaps on the back. This freed the plates of his pelvis and Kaidan tossed them aside, then yanked the back plates roughly out from under him.   
Moving again so that his left knee dug into Vega's stomach, pinning him there, he rotated so that he could reach the other leg and his boots, freeing James of the remaining plates. Releasing the last piece of armor, leaving James completely undefended beneath him, he chucked it dismissively across the room. Kaidan looked over at Shepard as he did so. He met his lover's icy-hot eyes as he reached down slowly and stroked his palm over the taut bulge of Vega's groin. The slow smile he got in return sent odd lines of molten pleasure through him.   
Then, returning his attention to the matter at hand, he lifted the edge of James's leggings, dragging the slick material between his body and the sheets, freeing his cock to slap up against his abdomen as Kaidan tugged the fabric down over his legs, throwing them aside.

Slipping back over to straddle his hips, Kaidan leaned forward on his hands and gazed down at the young lieutenant, splayed beneath him, completely naked save his spread of tattoos and a pair of dog-tags, watching him with hungry eyes. Kaidan savored the feeling of being caged over him, and the way James's hands curled into the bed-sheets in an effort to keep them immobilized. His cock was hard, the tip glistening with precum. 

Kaidan ignored it and reached up a broad hand and pressed it against his windpipe, leaning down close to place a hard bite against the taut muscle of his neck. His thumb found the thick pulse of his carotid and pressed in as he dragged his teeth down over hard muscle and the jut of his collar bone. 

He let his bare chest touch Vega's, skin scraping together intermittently as they both took taut, short, uneven breaths, James's made more-so by the hand at his throat. Kaidan bit down again into the swell of pectoral muscle above James's taut nipple. He sucked the little bud into his mouth, swirling its oval with his tongue. James mad a pleased sound on a sighing breath.  
Dragging his tongue up the smooth caramel skin he pressed his thumb into the underside of Vega's jaw, tilting his head so he could slip his face into the curve of Vega's neck, tracing the reddened mark of his earlier bite with his tongue. Abruptly he rocked his armor-plated pelvis against James's bared cock, none too gently. Vega let out a strangled moan.

He could see Shepard unsnapping his pelvic plate in his peripheral vision, though apparently for comfort more than as an indicator of his intent to join in. He resumed his position, leaning against the desk, sipping his drink.  
But it made Kaidan realize he was hard inside his own armor, quite painfully hard against the tight confines. He'd barely noticed that fact during the past several minutes.

Like many biotics, too many of them, the pain and pleasure centers of his brain had long since lost their hard boundaries. Too much time spent reveling in the exploding sensations of biotics, even as one's brain tried to stop the overexertion with pain signals, tended to have that effect. It was even more prominent in biotics like him who had been trained to fight, to push past their limits on a regular basis.   
Sometimes when his migraines hit they incongruously came complete with a raging hard-on.   
He usually tried to keep the two separate. Unfortunately after the day's biotic exertions, the line was definitely blurred in his brain, cross-modal dendrites firing on all cylinders.   
He moaned as he finally snapped off his pelvic plate. The sensation was overwhelming enough that he didn't even bother to get annoyed when James impertinently tugged his cock out of the fold of his leggings. He hissed as circulation was restored and blood flooded previously compressed skin, leaving his cock with reddened streaks along its length. James grinned as he stroked calloused fingers over him. Kaidan bit down on his lip with a strangled moan at the mixture of tingling pain and pleasure. Slowly Vega moved his hand so that his own cock was included in his grip, pressing their erections together as he stroked massive hands gently over them both.

Shepard let out a pleased sound at the sight, reaching down to snap off more of his armor. Kaidan glanced at him but was immediately drawn back to the motions of Vega's fingers. The commander remained where he was, however, making no move to approach them. The tightness of his discipline made the contrast of Kaidan's fraying control ever more salient. The ragged edge of his desire raged through him, pulling at him, suffocating him as his fingers bit into the flat padding of muscle of Vega's hips. 

James continued his stroking, rolling their cocks between his fingers. It was too much and not enough at the same time. Glowering, Kaidan gripped his wrists and pulled, though James defiantly clamped his hands down over them as his arms were dragged up, eliciting a low groan from Kaidan as he leaned on him, using his strength and bodyweight to free their cocks and pin James's arms back. He dipped his head down to take the lieutenant's lower lip in his teeth and bit. Hard. James just growled in response, pressing his head forward and turning it into another kiss. He meant to pull back, but then Kaidan tasted the hint of blood on his tongue as James's lips slid along his. Temporarily losing his tenuous hold on his control, he rocked his hips forward anyway, sliding his precum-slickened erection against the lieutenant's.

But he snagged the tiger's-tail edge of his control and leaned away. Kaidan had a very specific goal, one worth suffering the ache of withdrawal. James let out a sound of displeasure. When Kaidan slid back he could see the reddened indentations in James's skin where his armor had dug in.   
It added to his feral feeling, his need to mount the younger man and assert himself undeniably. He itched to use force, to let his biotics loose and drown in the fire of power. There was something in his head making it worse, pushing at him like it had all day. He was growing certain of that now, the way his vision blurred momentarily as he felt energy well up and then crash inside him. Ever since Mars there'd been… something. 

James was looking up at him with narrowed eyes and he was slowly stroking a broad hand along his erection.  
"Over," Kaidan ordered, voice hoarse. He clenched his fist against the urge to let the glow of biotics tangle over his skin.   
James just licked the split in his lip, smoothing away any blood as he smirked at him, lifting his hands to fold behind his head in a ripple of muscle. _Make me_ the move said loud and clear. 

The other man might be thicker with muscle but both had power well beyond their mass. Without hesitation Kaidan braced a leg against the bed and used hard fingers to haul Vega over onto his chest with a rough shove, jaw tight. The lieutenant clearly understood, and despite all his earlier defiance crawled readily enough onto his hands and knees at Kaidan's second lifting yank at his hips. 

Kaidan stifled a groan at the sight of James spreading his knees slightly as he rocked forward arching his back a little, presenting himself and looking back over his shoulder, taut muscles under tan skin curving over narrow hips and firm ass. 

Gripping a handful of the flesh in front of him, Kaidan dipped his head to bite hard into the skin beside his fingers. He reveled in the way Vega flinched again under his teeth. 

" _Fundillo_ ," James muttered, shooting a glare over his shoulder.

Kaidan just laughed low under his breath. Slowly he traced the deep mark with his tongue, then slid his tongue closer to James's opening, rolling his tongue over it, then lower.  
He sucked on the sensitive skin between James's cock and his ass, barely managing to resist the urge to bite down. Barely.  
Subsequently Kaidan lifted his head with a snap and turned to look at his lover. Their eyes locked in high-voltage tension. He couldn't resist the low sound he made in the back of his throat as he gazed at Shepard. Kaidan could see that even the commander's discipline was wearing thin by the throbbing pulse at his neck and the way his knuckles whitened where he gripped the desk beside him.

Keeping the commander's gaze, Kaidan let a slow taut smile spread across his face as his eyes narrowed. He slid a thumb up to the slightly slickened opening of James's ass, pressing into him smoothly and without warning. James let out a low groan, rocking back against the invading digit.

Setting down his empty glass with a clack, Shepard moved over to the nightstand and fished out a bottle of lube, tossing it with a snap to Kaidan, who caught it with one hand. Kaidan cracked the bottle open, drizzling the liquid onto his palm. He ran his hand in a stroke from James's ass all the way over his balls and down to the tip of his cock, smearing it with the clear liquid.

Shepard strode closer, pausing near the edge of the bed beside them, still wearing half of his armor. He looked at James, who turned his head and looked back at him, face hot and eyes light and sharp. Shepard roved his eyes up the side of his braced arm, up and over the curve of his shoulder. Then Shepard followed his gaze with his fingers as he looked down the muscled planes of his body, then up again to where Kaidan was drizzling lubricant onto himself.   
The major slid his hand over his cock, finally coating it in smooth slick liquid. 

Meeting his eyes, Shepard moved over to stand behind Kaidan. The commander ran his hands up the major's bare ribs and pressed his chest close, nuzzling a rough jaw against the side of his neck. The cold polymer of the armor against his bare back sent a shudder through Kaidan's body. He watched as Shepard's hands slid down to his hips, then traced forward along the vee of muscle to his groin, wrapping around his cock.

Shepard dragged his fingers through the lubricant on Kaidan's cock, guiding it forward into alignment, then lifted them to touch the skin of James's bared ass, stroking his fingers into the crease and spreading the gel around his opening. 

James was looking back at them with taut, sparking eyes as Shepard looked down over Kaidan's shoulder while he slid a finger into the younger marine.

Then, almost territorially, Kaidan gripped Shepard's wrists, yanking his hands from Vega's body. He turned a narrow look over his shoulder at Shepard, who was looking at him with hot hard eyes, a cold smile on his face. 

Kaidan lined his cock up by feel, never taking his eyes from Shepard's, or his hands from their tight grip on his wrists as he guided the slick palms up to his own skin, stroking Shepard's hands against him. John let out a low pleased sound, digging his fingers into the muscular lines of Kaidan's body and pressing his face against his neck before casting his eyes down to watch Kaidan's cock. 

Kaidan bowed his head against his lover's face, then he slowly, steadily, pressed himself forward into James's body.  
James moaned low in his throat as Kaidan arched into him. 

Kaidan's head jerked forward on an answering groan as he slid deeper into the hot tight confines of the lieutenant's ass. Slowly he slipped back till his ass pressed tight against Shepard, who stroked hard hands down his hips, grinding them together, then raked them back up his sides.

"Oh god Kaidan, fuck him. Fuck him," Shepard growled in his ear, breath hot against his neck.

Kaidan rode his hips forward, dragging another ragged sound from his throat and when he slid back and the curve of his ass came up hard against the taut bulge of the commander's cock under his leggings. Shepard's forehead rested on his shoulder as his lover fucked into the other man.

Kaidan rocked his hips forward again, the back hard against Shepard's lap. The commander grunted his appreciation as Kaidan continued this motion, sliding forward and back, harder and faster with each stroke. Soon the sound of their fucking echoed in the room. James was muttering in Spanish under his breath, hissing and moaning intermittently as Kaidan's strokes hit deeper and more roughly each time. 

"Harder," Shepard demanded, sliding closer so that Kaidan's ass ground against him even more roughly. His hands came up to grip James's ass on either side of Kaidan's.

Kaidan wasn't sure he _could_ push any harder, he was already slamming into the lieutenant with every ounce of strength his legs and hips could deliver. Oxygen in his lungs was a scarce commodity. He was already pulling back hard on James's hips, biceps taut and vascular. The points of his armor had already lacerated the bare skin of James's thigh where their legs connected, leaving long shallow lines of red pinpricked blood.   
He didn't know if there was more to give. But he tried.

Then Shepard crushed one broad thumb into the red bite-mark on James's ass, and suddenly James hissed "Shit!" and clenched down around Kaidan's cock, tightening hard the band of muscle he was ripping past.

"Fuck. Fuck!" Kaidan growled, jerking hard against the lieutenant, crashing to a halt. "Ungh!" he groaned, body shaking and glowing in microsecond flickers of biotics as he came hard. He gasped out another curse, rocking against James's body dizzily as he expended himself fully.   
Shepard made a pleased sound against his neck, pulling his lover back into his arms.  
"You are so hot when you come," Shepard whispered, "when you finally lose that control you cling so hard to," he said rocking with Kaidan as he leaned back into him. Kaidan gasped for breath, coming down slowly from his orgasm. Shepard just watched his face. Eventually he leaned away a bit, regaining some of his balance. 

"Why don't we find out what James looks like?" Shepard added, grinning hotly.  
Kaidan had no breath to speak with but nodded in firm agreement, then moved on unsteady legs to sit on the edge of the bed next to James, still breathing hard.   
He watched as Shepard stepped forward to kneel one leg beside James's thigh. Slipping one hand up along the younger marine's hamstring and glutes, the commander touched his gaping opening where Kaidan's release was shimmering in the reflected light of the stars and blueshift emissions through the skylight. Shepard slid two fingers into the lieutenant, replacing his lover's cock, spreading the digits in his lover's cum. James made a low appreciative sound as he slipped a third finger in.

He closed his other hand around James's cock, slipping it along the sticky residue of drying lubricant. He stroked his palm forward in time with the fingers thrusting into Vega's ass, smearing lubricant and cum into him and over his skin. James let his head hang between his shoulders, looking down to watch the commander's hand move between his legs.

Kaidan lay back on the bed, reaching a hand up to touch Vega's chest, raking blunt fingernails over the reddened bite mark on his pectoral muscle. James looked down at him with flushed features and glinting eyes, biting down on his lip and stifling a moan as Shepard stroked broad fingers into him at a slowly accelerating pace. 

Kaidan dragged himself closer and James lifted an arm to press against the headboard so Kaidan could angle his torso under him. He rose up shakily on his elbows and lifted his head in a perpendicular line to the younger marine's. James tipped his head down to look at him, eyes hot and wanting. Kaidan pushed closer, darting his tongue out to touch the cut on his lip before closing his mouth hard over James's lips.

James kissed him back vigorously, moaning against his mouth as Shepard worked rough hands into him and over his cock. He was shuddering, pinned between them, rushing closer to his tipping point.  
Kaidan let him go only to turn his head under James's chin, pushing past his jaw with his cheek. Gasping for breath James tipped his head up giving him free access. When he moaned and shuddered again, Kaidan latched his teeth over James's windpipe, biting down roughly.

" _¡Ay, puñeta!_ " James rasped, hips jerking forward. He threw his head back on a moan, jerking his throat from Kaidan's teeth as he arched his back and shot his load in spurts onto the tangled sheets below him. "Shit," he moaned, chest heaving as he wobbled over Kaidan, dropping his hand awkwardly against the major's chest to brace himself as it fell from where he'd pressed it against the headboard.

He sank to his side as Kaidan sat up, grinning as he watched his face throughout.   
" _Madre de dios…_ " James muttered, his hand falling numbly down Kaidan's bare chest as he rolled onto his back, pupils blown wide. Kaidan leaned over him, peering into his face, tracing a finger over the red marks on his throat. Then he turned his head to share a coarse smile with Shepard.


	3. Barriers

"So, either of you ready to dig deep and muster up some energy for your CO?" Shepard asked with a smirk, slipping a hand down to cup his cloth-covered erection as he gazed down at the two men sprawled in his bed. 

"Hoo-rah," James replied breathlessly with a smirk, sitting up and turning to reach toward Shepard's hips. Kaidan's hand came down on his, hard, knocking it back. 

"Down, Lieutenant," he snapped. And he didn't really understand why. James looked at him with a frown, a flicker of confusion - perhaps even hurt appearing in his eyes. Kaidan let out a rough sigh and rubbed the heels of his hands against his temples.

Whatever it was that had been gritting around in his head all day was most definitely not soothed yet. In fact, it was really starting to hurt. Or feel _extremely_ pleasurable. He honestly couldn't tell anymore. 

But he _did_ know that if anyone was going to suck Shepard's dick again today it was going to be him.

Shepard tilted his head, considering. He slid his eyes over to James where he lay behind Kaidan, still catching his breath. Then his eyes slid back to Kaidan and narrowed.

"My turn," Kaidan said softly, and James sat back with a shrug, eyeing him with that inscrutable expression he was so good at.   
Kaidan rose, stepping closer to his lover, needing… something.  
"Sit," Kaidan demanded, desperately stifling the micro-flickers of biotics that kept popping up over his skin.

" _Now_ , or so help me, Shepard…" Kaidan murmured, blue-purple humming momentarily into existence and then disappearing before anyone could acknowledge its presence.

The commander raised an eyebrow at that. But he didn't resist when Kaidan gripped his arms and guided him back to sit on the curved armless recliner. 

"Understood," Shepard said quietly. Kaidan took a slow breath at that surrender and then knelt in front of him, looking up at his lover. He held his gaze as he pushed his thighs slightly apart and reached for the bulge in the fold of his leggings. With a minimum of fuss he freed the commander's cock, stroking his swollen, reddened member with firm fingers. 

He leaned forward to finally put his damn mouth to good use for what he decided was one of a very few rare instances that day, wrapping it firmly around Shepard's erection. He let out a low sound as he slid forward. God but it felt good to finally take Shepard into him, to have his lover to himself again. He tuned out the sensation of the lieutenant's eyes on them, and the light-headedness that was tugging at him, focusing on Shepard.

With aching slowness he swallowed down as much of him as he could, relaxing his jaw and sucking him deep. His body fought the invasion like always, and just like always, he stoically ignored the twitch and clamp of reflex. He determinedly pushed past the pulsing involuntary tightening in his throat, going further even as he felt dizzy from the lack of breath. Shepard stroked a hand over his black hair, making an appreciative sound as Kaidan deep-throated him. He lifted his head slowly, choking only slightly on Shepard's length. His biotics flickered around him, buzzing and snapping where they intersected Shepard. The commander twitched in surprise at the unexpected contact. Kaidan sucked in half a breath but he felt a sense of intense need to push further, and so he went down again, forcing Shepard's cock down his throat with a stifled moan as he brought his will to bear.

And then something, that thing in his brain that had been itching at him all day, snapped into place. Almost as though the force of his intent had broken a barrier inside him. And what it resulted in was a sensation that felt like he'd tapped directly into a high-volume eezo-conduit. Kaidan keened involuntarily, mouth full of cock, hands clamping convulsively on Shepard's thighs as he went absolutely paralytically taut. 

He seized, body shaking, eyes rolling back as his vision whited-out. White vibration - no, not white but light, full light exploded in his brain, vibrating through him so hard he thought he might break into pieces.

"Kaidan!" Shepard yelled. His voice sounded like it was wrapped in cotton-balls. Some part of him could feel Shepard's steel-strong hands gripping his rigid shoulders, dragging him back, but Kaidan's body was locked up, clamped to his and Shepard only managed to lift him a few inches before he suddenly went limp again.

Then the blue-purple pop of biotics swelled to life around him, into him. Everything went bright blue-purple in his vision. They touched every part of him, washing over him with energy and the flooding rush of exquisite sensation extensive biotic use occasionally brought. Now it was filling him to the brim, spilling over all his edges and barriers faster than he could fathom. The light was fizzing and snapping where the energies touched Shepard. The commander jerked under him, swearing as the energies discharged against his skin.

Kaidan couldn't hold onto it anymore, he swallowed the commander down along with waves of purple energy, rolling and radiating from his throat as he sucked and bobbed. More than anything he wanted the waves of pleasure smashing into him to continue. And more than _everything_ he wanted Shepard. The biotic energy in his throat twisted and snapped against the commander's throbbing skin. The sensation was vibrating and burning under his flesh, deep in the electrical-sensory nerves, in his bones.

Shepard was groaning intermittently, cursing frequently in abortive half-breaths, and his left leg was kicking spasmodically against the plate of Kaidan's knee where it was wedged. 

"Kaidan," he gasped, choking on another groan as his body twitched as a spike of energy arced over to him again. His eyes went red hot with the reflection of cybernetics behind them, the scars on his jaw glowing bright.

"Too- ungh!" Shepard cried, shaking hard under him. He tried to move his hand up to Kaidan's head, but the energy there had the fine muscles of his hand clenching and splaying uncontrollably, effectively paralyzing him. The effect was spreading too. His breaths were deadly shallow, fighting against the contractions of his chest muscles and diaphragm. 

"Fuck," he gasped, bucking in a stymied micro-movement. Waves of purple-blue light cascaded over him, snapping at him with their energy.

Kaidan was past hearing him, drowning in the sensations rolling through him, in the frenzied tempest he was part of.  
In a jerky motion Shepard's boot came up and landed on his shoulder, kicking hard. Kaidan fell back in a snap-whump of biotics, the light fizzling out abruptly as their contact was severed and his head hit the deck with a crack.

Shepard let out a hoarse and ragged breath, cock twitching slightly as the white liquid of his cum spilled forth, splattering on his thigh and dribbling down his length. He glared down at his dick before his head fell limply back against the chair, chest heaving. 

Kaidan slowly pulled himself upright, blinking slowly trying to clear his head. His nose was bleeding, he realized belatedly, and he was hard again under his leggings.

Shepard was slouched back in his chair, mouth slightly ajar, staring at the blueshift emissions outside the skylight as he sucked in long deep breaths. His hand was trembling slightly and he just sat there, blinking slowly. 

Kaidan glanced around the room. Everything seemed so strangely normal. Well, except the naked and concerned lieutenant halfway out of their bed, watching them with wide eyes. 

The blood flowing from his nose was already slowing and Kaidan stood slowly, moving over to Shepard to look into his eyes. Shepard was looking back at him, incredulous.

For once, Shepard was the one without a handle on control - or words for that matter.

"You ok?" Kaidan managed, his voice hoarse.

Shepard nodded faintly.

"Good. I ah… I think I'd better go see Chakwas," Kaidan said. 

Shepard nodded again more firmly.

James was out of the bed already and reaching for his discarded leggings.

"You want to see her?" he asked, voice faint and gravelly.

Shepard shook his head, sucking in steadier and easier breaths each pass. He cast a wry look over at Kaidan, trying to speak but failing. He could imagine the likely words though; _"the fuck was that?"_   
Kaidan grinned down at him, pressing a hand to the dripping base of his nose as he wobbled, light-headed. Shepard's eyes crinkled slightly back at him, as though if he'd had the breath he would've been laughing. 

Kaidan laughed faintly for both of them, but then nearly fell over for his trouble, balance tipping.  
"I'll give you a hand," James said quietly, reaching out to steady him.

"Yeah. That would be good," Kaidan replied, gripping the thick arm that was extended to him for support. "Thanks," he added.

"De nada," James replied with a shrug. 

Kaidan looked down at Shepard but he shook his head and whispered, "Go."

"Aye-aye," James said and pushed the crumpled fabric of someone's bodysuit shirt into Kaidan's hand and he pressed a corner of it under his nose. Helping Kaidan away from the living quarters and up the steps, James shook his head, smirking at him. "I think maybe I'm done trying to one-up you, Major."

And that had Kaidan laughing, despite the way it had him stumbling against the other marine. "Uh-huh, sure. Whatever you say, Lieutenant."

James just grinned back at him. "Believe it when you see it?" he interpreted as they made their way from the cabin.

"Something like that. Besides," he added, turning narrowed, mischievous eyes on James. " _That_ would be a real shame."


	4. Epilogue

"Well Major, you've managed to do it again," Dr. Chakwas said with a bitter edge to her voice as she looked at the scans over Kaidan's head.

He frowned up at her, glancing over at James who was sitting on one of the other med-beds, wearing a fresh set of fatigues. The other marine shrugged, squinting at the colorful 3D image Chakwas was manipulating.

"Most people would just die and stop worrying me. You on the other hand seem to enjoy _almost_ dying," she added, folding her arms and tapping a finger to her chin.

Kaidan raised his eyebrows and winced. He might be bloody-nose-free and wearing fresh clothes, but he still had enough of a headache that he couldn't stare too long at the holo-display.  
"Help me out here, Doc. I'm not sure I follow you."

She let out an annoyed huff, pointing at the scan over his head.   
"Your brain, Alenko, is a mess."

James snorted at that and Kaidan glared at him. James just smirked back at him. The look was, however, slightly weakened by the faint line on his lip where Kaidan had torn the skin earlier. And the edge of a bitemark peeking out from the edge of his collar. Kaidan smirked back at the sight.

"And if the L2 implant wasn't bad enough, then there's Mars going and adding absurd amounts of scar tissue between your biotic nodes and brain systems," she said, pointing at the various features in the lights that were apparently his brain.  
"But this, here, and here… those are new," she added.

He pursed his lips, trying to follow her gestures.

Turning as the med-bay doors slid open she scowled. "Is this your doing, Commander? I should have expected as much," Chakwas said sharply.

"Status?" Shepard asked, coming to stand at the foot of Kaidan's bed, crossing his arms and assessing him with closed features. 

He looked ok… Kaidan studied him with narrowed eyes. His uniform was pristine as usual. He looked, tired perhaps. And the scars on his cheek looked much more visible than usual.

"Major Alenko had a brain rupture in the scar tissue that had formed between two of his biotic nodules after his injuries sustained on Mars," she responded curtly, folding her arms. "Probably brought on by the extended overuse of his abilities too soon after his recovery, especially if coupled with high levels of physical and mental stress."

Ah. Well.   
Deepthroating the commander till he got lightheaded after a mind-blowing (literally, perhaps) orgasm while fucking the lieutenant after a long battle _might_ just qualify as high levels of physical and mental stress.   
Kaidan glanced at Shepard but he was looking at the doc.   
He glanced at James, but immediately regretted it when he saw the gloating grin on the younger marine's face. He sighed in disgust, pressing a broad hand to the bridge of his nose. The doc took his hand firmly and placed it back down by his side.

She glared over at Shepard, "Commander, as his mission leader, _you_ wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"

He turned a neutral gaze on her, pursing his lips slightly, "Mission necessity, Doc."

One way of putting it. James looked like he was choking on something as he smothered a laugh, clearing his throat.  
Shepard turned a cool and sardonic gaze on the lieutenant.   
James pretended to find the edge of his fingernail extremely interesting.  
Kaidan rolled his eyes again.

The doctor favored them all with an equal glare.  
"Laugh if you like, but I hope you understand that the major is lucky only blood came out his nose today. Commander, you _might_ want to ease up a bit on your people before you get _all_ of them killed. I am assuming you want at least one squad member to make it through your missions alive. Though I suppose knowing you, you'll just try and take the reapers on by yourself. Might as well kill them off now - save you the trouble later." She snapped.

And then Shepard wasn't laughing anymore. Not that he had laughed. But now all traces of mirth and ease had left his gaze.  
The doctor grimaced, clearly regretting her bitter words. "My apologies, Commander. This was a unexpectedly close call. I'm afraid with things… it has upset me more than usual. Forgive me." 

Shepard shrugged it off with a grim nod and turned to look at the brain scan as if it held important information for him. Perhaps it did.

"That bad?" Kaidan asked.

"If the scar tissue had been cross-modally embedded in any other systems than sensory, I doubt you would have survived," she said with a sympathetic frown.

"Cross-modally embedded - pain and pleasure sensory regions?" Kaidan asked her. 

"Some," she mused, "though most of the scarring and cross-modality there is longstanding."  
He nodded. That was old news at least. 

"Odd though," she said, poking at the image again.

"Doc?" Kaidan asked, temper wearing a little thin at her characteristic hesitations.

"I'm not quite sure how to describe it. For lack of a more detailed information, I'll say that these two nodes have… fused, perhaps. That would certainly explain it," she murmured.

"Explain what?" Shepard asked, frowning.

"The biotic cascade the Major experienced," she replied. "There have been _some_ publications on unstable nodes causing biotic cascades in high eezo exposure cases. I'll have to read up on them - not something I was expecting to have to deal with any time soon," she said, favoring Alenko with another frown.

"Prognosis?"

"I'm not certain. I'll need to do some more research, some more scans. And he needs rest, then we can re-assess." 

"But now, Doc. Give it your best estimate," Shepard ordered, looking down at Kaidan with grim unfathomable eyes. Kaidan glared back at him.

"My best estimate… I believe he'll be fine. Perhaps better than okay if you actually let him rest this time. Those fused nodes may prove to be more powerful as one organ than they were separately, assuming the rupture heals appropriately."

"Not going to burnout?" Kaidan asked, referring to the extremely rare overload-induced collapse of biotic nodules that disabled a biotic permanently - if it didn't kill him or her first. Usually it only occurred when the biotic in question was high on minagen X or some form of stims that kept them from passing out as a defense mechanism to disastrous over-extension of their abilities.

"Not yet anyway," she replied, face relaxing into a much gentler look as she gazed at him. "No, Major, after some rest you can continue as a biotic, with little risk of burnout - at least until you pull some other stupid stunt like this."

Kaidan sighed, a weight loosening in his chest.  
"Ok. Ok good," he said, sitting up. The strange biotic cascade had definitely had him worried he was closer to the razor edge of self-destruction than he had previously thought possible.

Shepard seemed to relax a little as Kaidan sat up. Kaidan turned a tight gaze on him, but the commander ignored him.

"Treatment?" he asked. 

"Your orders are to first and foremost get a healthy meal or six in your system - your body fat percentage is getting low enough I'm getting concerned about your ability to maintain appropriate brain myelination levels," Chakwas admonished.  
"Then you are going to sleep for at least twelve hours. You're off duty until I re-authorize you. No missions or biotic use of _any sort_ for at least a week. Then we can spend some time re-assessing your biotic abilities. They'll likely be unstable at first. Perhaps Liara will be available for assistance."

Kaidan nodded, though he wasn't particularly pleased at the setback. He could follow the doctors orders, however.

Chakwas sighed. "All right, get on with you then," she said. "Get a meal, and I don't mean later, Major," she added, transferring the brain scan to her workstation and heading for her desk. 

Only then did Shepard meet Kaidan's gaze fully, letting his Commander expression slip a little. Kaidan looked back at him as they silently exchanged quick information and assessments through their eyes and faces, as only longtime comrades can.

_You ok?_

_Yeah. You?_

_Obviously. Also - What. The. Fuck?_

_How the fuck should I know?_

A small grin flickered across Shepard's face, smothered quickly. Kaidan rolled his eyes. He reached out and nudged Shepard's arm with a knuckle. Shepard glared at him with a look that held little animosity.

Having watched the exchange with a raised eyebrow, James sighed. "Getting hungry over here, Major," Vega interjected, patting his washboard stomach.

"Yeah, yeah," Kaidan said, shooting him a dark look.

Shepard favored him with a look as well and James gaze back at the commander a long moment, a slow smile touching his lips in response to whatever he saw there. Kaidan raised a brow, but didn't comment.

"If you have a moment Doctor," Shepard said, turning away, apparently satisfied.

"Something else Commander?" She asked, swiveling in her chair.

"I'll need another full diagnostic on my cybernetics, Doctor," Shepard said, cocking an eyebrow at her.

She sighed, putting a delicate surgeon's hand to her temple. "Do I even want to-,"

"Nope," James said, not quite managing to stifle his self-satisfied smirk, sliding off the med-bed and walking over to stand by Kaidan as he swung his feet off the bed and rose.

"I'm perfectly capable of walking to the mess by myself, Lieutenant," Kaidan said sharply, but there wasn't much heat behind his words.

James grinned at him and Kaidan rolled his eyes as he started walking towards the door.

"Come on _jefe_ , I'll buy you a beer," James said, walking just inside arms-length distance from the major.

"Beer's free," Kaidan muttered under his grin as they headed out of the med-bay.


End file.
